168 CHAPTER 4
bodies process alcohol differently than men’s bodies do. (Women are typically smaller,
too, so alcohol has a quicker impact on women.)
OPIATES: I FEEL YOUR PAIN Opiates are a type of depressant that suppress the sen-
sation of pain by binding to and stimulating the nervous system’s natural receptor
sites for endorphins (called opioid receptors), the neurotransmitters that naturally
deaden pain sensations (Levesque, 2014; Olin, 1993). Because they also slow down
the action of the nervous system, drug interactions with alcohol and other depres-
sants are possible—and deadly. All opiates are a derivative of a particular plant-
based substance—opium.
OPIUM Opium, made from the opium poppy, has pain-relieving and euphoria- inducing
properties that have been known for at least 2,000 years. Highly addictive, it mimics
the effects of endorphins, the nervous system’s natural painkillers. The nervous system
slows or stops its production of endorphins. When the drug wears off, there is no pro-
tection against any kind of pain, causing the severe symptoms of withdrawal associated
with these drugs. It was not until 1803 that opium was developed for use as a medication
by a German physician. The new form—morphine—was hailed as “God’s own medi-
cine” (Hodgson, 2001).
MORPHINE Morphine was created by dissolving opium in an acid and then neutralizing
the acid with ammonia. Morphine was thought to be a wonder drug, although its addic-
tive qualities soon became a major concern to physicians and their patients. Morphine is
still used today to control severe pain, but in carefully controlled doses and for very short
periods of time.
HEROIN Ironically, heroin was first hailed as the new wonder drug—a derivative of
morphine that did not have many of the disagreeable side effects of morphine. The the-
ory was that heroin was a purer form of the drug and that the impurities in morphine
were the substances creating the harmful side effects. It did not take long, however, for
doctors and others to realize that heroin was even more powerfully addictive than mor-
phine or opium. Although usage as a medicine ceased, it is still used by many people.
The United States has seen an increase in the use of heroin among both men and
women in various age groups and levels of income (CDC, 2015c). People are not only
using heroin but are combining it with other drugs, particularly cocaine and prescription
painkillers containing opiates, which has of course led to an increase in overdose deaths.
The rate of heroin-related overdose deaths quadrupled in only an 11-year period, from
2002–2013 (CDC, 2015c).
Drugs such as methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone may be used to control with-
drawal symptoms and help treat opiate addictions (Kahan & Sutton, 1998; Kakko et al.,
2003; Ward et al., 1999). Eventually, as the addicted person is weaned from these drugs,
the natural endorphin system starts to function more normally.Hallucinogens: Higher and Higher
- 14 Identify the effects and dangers of using hallucinogens.
Hallucinogens actually cause the brain to alter its interpretation of sensations (Olin,
- and can produce sensory distortions very similar to synesthesia ( to Chapter
Three: Sensation and Perception), in which sensations cross over each other—colors have
sound, sounds have smells, and so on. False sensory perceptions, called hallucinations, are
often experienced, especially with the more powerful hallucinogens. There are two basic
types of hallucinogens—those that are created in a laboratory and those that are from
natural sources.
MANUFACTURED HIGHS There are several drugs that were developed in the labora-
tory instead of being found in nature. Perhaps because these drugs are manufactured,
they are often more potent than drugs found in the natural world.
opiates
a class of opium-related drugs that
suppress the sensation of pain
by binding to and stimulating the
nervous system’s natural receptor
sites for endorphins.
opium
substance derived from the opium
poppy from which all narcotic drugs
are derived.
morphine
narcotic drug derived from opium,
used to treat severe pain.
heroin
narcotic drug derived from opium that
is extremely addictive.
hallucinogens
drugs that cause false sensory
messages, altering the perception
of reality.